Whether mocked, doubted or venerated, The Bloody Sock is a unique piece of sports memorabilia and it is the symbol of the Boston Red Sox' cathartic championship of 2004, the one that ended 86 years of aching near-misses and collapses. And the reddest of socks may be put up for sale, collateral damage in the notorious collapse of the defunct game maker 38 Studios.

Schilling was bleeding at his right ankle following an emergency procedure to repair tendon damage suffered in the first round of the playoffs that year. He was one of the American League's two best pitchers in 2004, so losing him to injury was seen as catastrophic and his return from it miraculous. Yankee fans sneered at the authenticity of the bloodstain, considering it a fabrication to enhance sympathy for Boston and Schilling and then later, the magnitude of the triumph.

Well, a Yankee fan with enough money may be able to buy it and inspect it for himself. Schilling reportedly lost $50 million in 38's collapse, a bankruptcy and dissolution he tried to fend off by posting nearly 3,000 gold coins as collateral. That means everything is on the table as he tries to avoid personal bankruptcy, including the bloody sock from Game Two of the World Series—which is on loan for display at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, N.Y.

Schilling himself also guaranteed $12 million worth of loans 38 Studios acquired, which is why he's personally exposed here. Memorabilia experts say the sock could command a price around $25,000. Though he and his attorneys have declined to comment, an expert contacted by The Boston Globe said listing the sock in a collateral filing with the state indicates Schilling has agreed to sell it, along with other memorabilia he owns, including a cap worn by the Yankees' all-time great Lou Gehrig. That's significant because Schilling has made donating to research of ALS, the disease that killed Gehrig, a personal cause.

The banks and Schilling have declined to comment. His home and a stake in a private equity firm also are in the collateral filing, as is his collection of World War II memorabilia, which includes Nazi uniforms.

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As an athlete, Schilling made few friends with his confrontational and outspoken style and his politics certainly are at odds with much of blue-state New England. He may not have been the best candidate for running a games studio either, and those who lost their jobs are faring worse than a millionaire athlete. But it's not like he took the money and ran.

And the Bloody Sock is, like it or not, a piece of baseball history and an icon of something unprecedented in North America's oldest professional sport. Whoever buys it, I hope they keep it on loan at Cooperstown.